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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “json rpc”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “json rpc”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1916 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #7 ↑8 2 too low 6 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too low 12 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #9 ↓2 6 too high 16 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 ↓2 8 too high 17 Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #19 ↑2 20 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓5 2 too low 22 NETSENSAI Shield 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑1 23 CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 WEBO MCP 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 7 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.